Press for blocking in gold and other metallic leaf.



T. HOOLEY.

PRESS FOR BLOCKING IN GOLD AND OTHER METALLIC LEAF.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 10, 1912.

1,155,573. Patented 001;. 5, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

T. HOOLEY.

PRESS FOR BLOCKING IN GOLD AND OTHER METALLIC LEAF.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 10. 1912.

1,155,573. Patented Oct. 5,1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

.v-zumum PLANOGRAI'II CD.,WASMINGTON. ac

satisfactory results. V v 'According to my lI1VIlt10I1,I provide THOMAS HOOLEY, orsrooizron'r, ENGLAND,

' ,rnnss ronnnocimve in com AND OT ER METALLIC LEAF.

Application filed April 10, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it'known that 1, THoMAs \HOOLEY, a

subject of the King of theUnited Kingdomof Great Britainiand Ireland, residing at Duke street, Stockport, in the county of Chester, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Presses for Blocking in Gold and other Metallic Lea-f, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to presses for blocking in gold and other metallic leaf. Up tothe present, no means have been employed whereby metallic leaf (hereinafter referred to as gold leaf) could be successfully attached to the dies or blocks (hereinafter referred to as dies) of blocking presses preparatory to its being deposited upon the-surface to be blocked, the gold leaf being of such an extremely delicate and flimsy character that even after it hasbeen attached to the die, it is readily floated olf therefrom by currents of air such as it would be subjected to by the die being moved violently, or in, or substantially in, the plane of its blocking surf-ace. By the means hereinafter described, I have been able, with a block ing press, to-blockin gold leaf with highly each press with a movable tray or magazine for containing a book, or two or more superimposed books '(hereinafter referred to as a pile), of gold leaf, thesebooks having the usual interleaving paper sheets between adjacent metallic sheets. This tray is capable i of being moved into and out of position beneath the die, and meansare PlOVlClGClwhereby the following series of operations can be carried out, VlZ2-fiISt coating the blocking surface (which is heated 1n any of the known ways) with a suitable adhesive,

preferably and hereinafter regarded as grease, then bringing the top sheet of the pile of gold leaf and the coated or greased surface, lightly into contact with each other so as tocause the former to adhereto the latter, then moving the pile of gold leaf away from the die, so as to separate the leaf adhering to the die from the others in the pile, next removing the said pile from beneath the die and then forcing the previously prepared surface to be blocked,

against the die, so thatupon the subse-.

quent separation of the die and that surface, the gold leaf will be left adhering to and impressed into the latter.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' manually as by means of a handle 10.

Serial No. 685,736.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is an end elevation and side elevation of a well-known blocking press with improvements ing to the said invention applied thereto, and Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the die and the tray supporting the gold leaf, in its normal or inoperative position in full lines, and in its working position in dot-and-dash lines.

In the press illustrated in these drawings, the main structure comprises the two side frames 1, 2, uni-ted at their lower ends by tie bars 3, 1, and at their upper ends by a bridge 5.

The frames 1-, 2, are provided with guides 6, 6, whereon is capable of sliding in a vertical direction, a bed 7 provided with hori- Zontal tracks 8 whereon is capable of sliding in a horizontal direction, a table 9, the latter being moved along the said tracks The bed 7 receives vertical motion in one direction by cams 11 fast to a shaft 12, on one end of which is secured a hand lever 13, the arrangement being such that when this hand lever is in the vertical position in which it is shown in the drawings, the bed 7 and all the parts carried thereby, willbe in their lowest position, and when the said hand lever 13 is moved out of this position, say. toward the left in Fig. 2, then the said bed and parts carried thereby, are raised by the cams 11, the subsequent lowering of the said parts being elfected by gravity when the hand lever 13 is returned to its normal ver tical position.

The before mentioned bridge 5 carries beneath it, a block ll adapted, in well-known manner, to be heated by gas or other means, to which is attached'as ordinarily, the die 1-5 bearing the design to be blocked in gold leaf. A bracket 16 is adjustably secured as by bolts, nuts and slots 17, to one side of the bed 7, the said bracket 16 being adapted to participate in all of the rertical movements of the bed. The upper end of the bracket 16 terminates in an outwardly-extending arm 18 to which is pivoted a plate or tray 19 capable of being swung from the position in which it is shown in full lines in the Fig. 2 a form of accorddrawings (in which position the ascent of the bed will not bring the said tray into. COIlttlCt'Wltll the die 15), into the position in' Patented oer. 5, was.

which is represented in dot-anddash lines, in which (see particularly Fig. the

ascent of the bed will cause the tray or the pile of gold leaf'thereon to be brought into contact with the face of the die. The tray 19 may be moved from one to the other of the two just-named positions by means of a handle 20, or other suitable device. The tray 19 is provided for the purpose of supporting a pile of gold leaf 21 (see particularly Figs. 2 and. 3), the underside of this pile, if desired, being attached to the tray 19 by paste or equivalent adhesive and re .tained in position on the tray by gages 22.

A book of gold 'leaf as generally supplied to the user, is bound together at one edge,

. adjustable by screws 25 in two brackets 26' (only one of which is shown in the drawings) rigidly attached to the adjacent end of the table 9. The grease roller 23 is adjusted by the screws 25 into such position that during its forward and backward horizontal motion along with the table 9, its

periphery will rub under the surface of the I die 15'so as to leave a thin deposit thereon of the grease carried by the said roller.

In the operation of the before described press, the operator first removes the uppermost sheet of the pile to eXpose a leaf of gold, and greases the heated die 15 by traversing the grease roller 23 beneath it as previously described, the table 9 and the roller 23 being thereafter left in their rearmost position, that isto say, the position in which they are shown in Fig. 2. The operator then swings the tray 19'with the pile of gold leaf 21 thereon, beneath the die 15 and thereafter depresses the lever 13 so as to raise the bed 7 and with it the tray 19, and by those means, bring the topmost leaf of gold into contact with the greased face of the said die. The lever 18 is then raised to its normal position allowing the bed 7 and tray 19 to descend "by gravity and in so doing, withdraw the pile of gold 21 away from the die, leaving the topmost leaf of gold from this pile attached to the greased face of the die. The tray 19 with the pile of gold leaf thereon, isthen swung from beneath the the into the position 1T1,

which it is shown in full lines in the drawings, '(see particularly Fig.3), and there after the table, with the case or material to be blocked previously positioned-thereon and previously glaired 'or' prepared for're- F ceiving the lmpressi'on, is raised into forc1-' ble contact with the heated die 15 by means a of the hand lever 13. The lever 13 is then again returned to its normal vertical position and the table 9'with the blocked case or material thereon, is allowed to descend,

the table thereafter'being moved along the tracks 8: from beneath the die 15, for the V removal therefrom of the; blockedcase or".

material and the substitution. therefor of the case or material toreceive the next impression which latter willfbe given by a repetition of the previously described series of operations. I v ,1 Y V In a power press, it maybe convenient to have I the before mentioned tray provided I with a spring-supported floor which will oppose the pressure offlthepile of gold leaf against the die with a pressure suflicient to cause the top leaf of the pile to adhere to the. die (whateverthe quantity of gold leafsup-' ported on thattloor) without damaging the lower sheets of the said pile. It will be obvious that the tray on which the pileof gold leaf is carried,,may be mounted to slide on straight or curved rails instead" of, as shown in the drawings, being pivoted, andfurther,

it is to be understood that so far asthe pres- 1 g V ent invention is concerned, it is immaterial whether the press, including the tray, bep

operated by hand or power:

I-Iaving described my invention I declare that what I claim and desireto secure by Letters Patent is 1 1. In a blocking press,

the'combination of.

a die, means for depositing .grease upon it,

means operative to bring the pile of gold leaf into and out ofapposition to the die, means operative to bring the topmost leaf of the pile into contact with the greased face; 7

of the said die, means for supporting the article to be blocked, and meansoperative to bringthe sald article and the, leaf-covered surface of the die into contact with eachi other, the die being maintained stationary from the time the gold leaf is. applied to it 7 until that leaf is .impressed upon the article to be blocked. q I A 2. In a blocking press, the combination of a stationary die, means movable past the die for depositing grease upon it, means movable to carry a pile of gold leaf from'a nor mal position in which it is not, to a position in which it is, beneath the. stationary'die, and vice versa, means operative to bring the top sheet of the pile of goldleaf and the.

greased surface into contact with each other,

means for supporting the article to be.

blocked, .and means operative to bringthe-f said article'and thejleaf-covered surface of W thedie into contact with each other without 7 i moving the die.

3. In ablocking press, the combination of I a die, means movable pastahei die for-(lee positing grease upon it, means carrying a pile of gold leaf, means operative to bring the pile beneath the die and the topmost sheet of the pile into contact with the die, means for supporting the article to be blocked, and means operative to bring the said article into contact with the leaf-covered surface of the die which latter remains stationary throughout the whole of such operations.

4. In a blocking press, the combination of a die, means for depositing grease upon the die, means carrying a pile of gold leaf beneath and away from the die, a rising and falling table carrying the article to be blocked, the means carrying the pile of gold leaf rising and falling with the table, and means bringing the surface or article to be blocked into forcible contact with the die.

5. In a blocking press, the combination of a die, means for depositing grease upon the surface of the die, a table carrying the article to be blocked, means for raising this table toward and lowering it from the die, a bracket rising and falling with the table, and a plate pivoted to the bracket and adapted to swing beneath and away from the die and to carry a pile of gold leaf for presentation to the underside of the said die.

6. In a. blocking press, the combination of a die, a table movable horizontally to present to the die the surface or article to be blocked, means movable with the table for depositing grease upon the die, a bed upon which the table is horizontally movable, means for raising and lowering the bed, and means attached to the bed carrying a pile of gold leaf beneath and away from the die, and rising with the bed to bring the said pile into contact with the die.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

, THOMAS HOOLEY. Witnesses:

HENRY HART, WARWICK HENRY WILLIAMS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

